Capello snubs Beckham

Fabio Capello today named his first England squad. The footballing nation is in a state of puzzlement at one decision in particular, namely the dropping of ex-skipper David Beckham for a friendly - next Wednesday against Switzerland - in which he would have received his 100th England cap.

In a sense, you have to admire his ruthlessness. I'll say from the outset that I believe that Beckham is good enough for a place in the squad on merit. But the Italian is a man who knows his own mind, and has begun his reign with a very brave decision.

Capello's reason for leaving Beckham out is doubts over his match fitness and, to be honest, he knows a lot more about Beckham's fitness than I do. He has made it clear that he is not axing Beckham from the squad permanently. It seems then that Fabio has in fact made a Cloughesque unilateral decision on the fitness of a key player - or at least name - on a big occasion. And in the aftermath of the woeful McClaren era, how refreshing is that?

Here's his 30-man squad in full:

Goalkeepers
David James (Portsmouth), Scott Carson (Liverpool on loan at Aston Villa), Chris Kirkland (Wigan)

So that's Paul Robinson dropped, and rightly so. He's playing the worst football of his career, and he knows it. To his credit, he's working hard to improve and win back his Spurs place. Perhaps he'll work his way back into the England squad too, if he can cut out the errors. Chris Kirkland? Awful.

Defenders
Wayne Bridge (Chelsea), Ashley Cole (Chelsea), Curtis Davies (West Brom on loan at Aston Villa), Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United), Glen Johnson (Portsmouth), Ledley King (Tottenham Hotspur), Nicky Shorey (Reading), Wes Brown (Manchester United), Joleon Lescott (Everton), Micah Richards (Manchester City), Matthew Upson (West Ham United), Jonathan Woodgate (Tottenham Hotspur)

I'd say there's a few questionable choices there. Ashley Cole isn't up to the job. I also don't rate Wes Brown or Glen Johnson. Curtis Davies - take it from me - is in the squad on the strength of a majestic performance in Capello's first scouting game. Excellent selections include Lescott and Woodgate.

Midfielders
Michael Carrick (Manchester United), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Gareth Barry (Aston Villa), Jermaine Jenas (Tottenham Hotspur), Owen Hargreaves (Manchester United), Joe Cole (Chelsea), Ashley Young (Aston Villa), Stewart Downing (Middlesbrough), Shaun Wright-Phillips (Chelsea), David Bentley (Blackburn Rovers)

Again, some good selections, namely Bentley, Young and Hargreaves. But seriously, what on earth are Michael Carrick, Jermaine Jenas and Stewart Downing doing in an England squad not selected by an idiot?

Strikers
Emile Heskey (Wigan Athletic), Gabriel Agbonlahor (Aston Villa), Michael Owen (Newcastle United), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Peter Crouch (Liverpool)

Heskey and Owen are NOT in good enough form to be selected in the England squad. What a paucity of strikers we have. Still, at least Capello hasn't bought into the Andrew Johnson myth.

Read more

Beckham willing and able if Capello calls

Forgive me for gushing, but if ever in my lifetime there were a player deserving of a symbolic England cap, its David Beckham of his century.

The LA Galaxy midfielder has faced huge criticism throughout his career. At Manchester United his temperament was called into question. At Real Madrid, he was lambasted for being the last of the Galacticos through the door as Real embarked upon a period of failure, albeit brief. And in moving to the Major Soccer League, Beckham has been slaughtered for entering a phase of 'semi-retirement'.

But David Beckham always bounces back - that awesome 1998/99 season for United, proving his professionalism and admirable attitude to Fabio Capello at Real and earning recalls to their squad and the England squad in quick succession - and make no mistake, Beckham has carried England for years. The so-called Golden Generation has been proven a myth, but in Beckham we have truly been witness to a worthy England legend, regardless of the lack of success during his time.

Becks has many attributes which more than counter-balance the perception that football has long since departed its role as his focus. He is a model professional, as England boss Capello discovered at the Bernabeu. He is also the best crosser and passer of a football to grace the national team in my lifetime. But more to the point, David Beckham cares passionately about football, about the fans, and about England. That is why Beckham deserves his 100th cap even if - and that's a big 'if', in my opinion - he is not quite international material as his career winds down.

The first opportunity for new boss Capello to hand Beckham the milestone cap is next Wednesday, February 6th, against Switzerland. It's a friendly, and as such I fully expect Beckham to play. I also suspect he might find himself wearing the captain's armband one last time. It'll be a wonderful touch.

If we work on the almost-safe assumption that Fabio Capello will be on-board with this idea, the remaining question mark hangs over Beckham's fitness for the game. Good news from the BBC today, then, with Becks having told the World Service that he is fit and ready for action, largely thanks to Arsenal Football Club allowing him to join them in training. Next Wednesday should be a fantastic occasion for Beckham, England, and for the fans lucky enough to have seen the development of the career of a real great.

The 32-year-old will join Peter Shilton, Bobby Moore, Sir B*bby Ch*rlton and Billy Wright in the exclusive 100-club. If you ask me, he'll be in appropriate company.

Read more

I'm not bitter...unlike the Murphy!

I don't like to blog about Aston Villa. I'm too close to the subject, I can't be impartial. And I think that's important, though Pat Murphy clearly doesn't feel the same way about professional distance.

Ever since Randy Lerner finalised his takeover at Villa Park, Murphy has been on the warpath. He doesn't like how Lerner avoids the broadcast media and has published several desperate whining pieces slating Randy Lerner's PR approach. He attempts to speak for the fans, all the while ignoring that fact that Villa fans like that Lerner is low-profile. They like his PR tactics. So far, Randy Lerner has not put a foot wrong at Aston Villa. Murphy, however, sees fit to criticise based purely on selfishness. Not so cosy and easy for you without Doug Ellis sharing your ivory tower, is it Pat?

Murphy's latest unfortunate bout of one-eyed nonsense has resulted in this absolute car crash of an article. Unsurprisingly, the entire piece pivots on the centrepoint of Pat Murphy's propensity to launch his toys out of the pram for the benefit of anybody suffering the misfortune of stumbling across his ill-informed waffle.

In this instance, Randy Lerner is being villified for having the audacity to donate £5m of his own money to an art gallery, while Martin O'Neill refuses steadfastly to spend any of the same warchest on new players. But it's not the donation which has generated Murphy's ire, rather the fact that Lerner - or 'Slow Lerner' as the disrespectful BBC hack calls him - chose to speak with two newspapers and no broadcast media about handing over the cash. How dare he?!

Pat Murphy's ludicrous argument falls down on several counts.

Firstly, he speaks for himself and only for himself. Villa fans are smitten with their new owner in a way Liverpool or Manchester United fans could only dream of. They like his style, his aloofness. They like that he makes philanthropic donations, in fact that's how many view his purchase of Aston Villa. Pat Murphy does not speak for the fans, and as his target audience they will no doubt be furious.

Secondly, Murphy's article is a blatant piece of self-serving anti-Lerner propaganda. The days of guaranteed interviews with Ellis are gone, Mr Murphy. You are no longer top tier, and you should be more professional than to publish this drivel lambasting an excellent owner. This article serves no other purpose, and as such is an abuse of Murphy's influence.

Third, Murphy's immature name-calling does nothing for his rapidly flaking credibility. I have already mentioned 'Slow Lerner', but Murphy also labels Villa board member General Charles C. Krulak 'intemperate'. This comment is based on Krulak's comments made in an ongoing online dialogue direct with supporters which, presumably, Murphy does not read. After all, if he did he would be aware of how wide of the mark his opinion on the new Villa regime is compared to that of those who actually matter.

Finally, in Pat Murphy's ill-advised fury, he consistently chooses to ignore matters of context. Murphy's sarcastic use of the phrase 'publicity-shy' is pathetic largely because it is in fact true. If the journalist in question cannot equate publicity-shyness with speaking to newspapers instead of doing on-air interviews with broadcast journalists, he needs to take a long hard look at himself. And perhaps it's time Murphy dropped his broadcast (and anti-Lerner) bias and nauseating ad hominem criticisms for five minutes and considered why Lerner is so unlikely to give over his time to broadcast. You're a journalist, Pat, may I suggest you research around Mr Lerner's run-ins with the broadcast media in the USA? Trust me, it'll put your childish potshots in perspective.

So while Villa fans cancel their subscriptions to their local rag en masse, I hope they hit the newspaper with a liberal helping of their reasoning. Pat Murphy does not represent the fans, and if the fans want people to know that they need to speak out in Lerner's support.

Read more

Hit or Shit? #1

HIT

• Michael Essien
• General Sport and Entertainment
• Balloons
• Southampton Football Club
• The FA Cup (sponsored by E.On, of course) Fifth Round Draw

SHIT

• Ashley Cole
• Tom Hicks
• Howard Webb
• Newcastle United Football Club
• Getting sent the Daily Star video of the Third Round draw "conspiracy"

Read more

Wise is Newcastle's Arnesen

Siege mentality only goes so far, it seems. Having come in for vicious criticism at Leeds last season, Dennis Wise successfully harnessed the club's bitterness at its 15-point deduction and they roared up League One in remarkable fashion.

Strange, then, that the Leeds boss is headline news once again today. He's on his way to Newcastle United to link up with 'King Kev' in a Frank Arnesen-style role, whatever that means. Poaching youngsters (allegedly), I suppose.

Leeds have confirmed that a compensation package has been agreed with the Premier League side, making a mockery of 'King Kev' declining to comment in a press conference today. So that's that then, Wise is leaving a managerial post in which he may have tasted promotion, to take up a job at a club which is slowly doing a hatchet job on itself, and where our chirpy mate Den will have no day-to-day dealings with the playing squad.

How ambitious of him.

Wise, no stranger to surprises and controversy, is a somewhat strange addition to the St James' Park backroom staff, particularly in such a vaguely defined role. It will do nothing to further his managerial career which, one presumes, he was keen on until recently. He must have impressed Keegan somehow or other, and convinced him that his wider football knowledge is a useful asset to the Magpies.

The question is, though, are Newcastle really in need of someone to fill this position? Is anyone? Or are United simply following a fad which started at Stamford Bridge and has been cultivated in an environment totally different to that in which Wise will operate?

Read more

Havant score twice at Anfield and balloons wreak havoc for Man City

The number of Premier League teams left in the FA Cup as we head into tomorrow's fifth round draw may tell its own story, but for many fans the fourth will have been seen as a great advert for the tournament. And just when it needs a helping hand, too.

The round began on Friday night with Barnsley dumping out Southend in a close encounter at Roots Hall. The Saturday lunchtime match saw Middlesbrough overcome a determined Mansfield, but the real drama on Saturday came at Anfield.

In the most talked about game of the Cup this season, Havant & Waterlooville twice stunned Anfield by taking 1-0 and 2-1 leads against Liverpool. Liverpool came back to win 5-2, with Yossi Benayoun scoring three, but what a performance from the Hawks! Those are two goals their fans will never forget.

Meanwhile, Arsenal thumped Newcastle 3-0, while Bristol Rovers nicked a 1-0 win at Underhill. Coventry knocked out Millwall, Preston went away to Derby and put them to the sword (some called this a 'shock' - it was nothing of the sort) and Huddersfield and West Brom picked up away wins. Portsmouth and Southampton both progress after winning at home, what price a Hampshire derby drawn out of the pot tomorrow? Wolves went to Vicarage Road and thumped Watford, and Chelsea were simply too good for Wigan at the JJB.

As is the new FA Cup tradition, three games also took place today. Early on, Cardiff survived a potentially sticky tie at one of the Cup's all-time favourite giant-killers, Hereford.

Manchester United went one behind to Spurs, but a goal from Carlos Tevez levelled before half time. In the second period Michael Dawson got caught underneath a high ball which was brilliantly controlled by Wayne Rooney in the Spurs area, and slapped the ball out of Rooney's path.

Dawson was given his marching orders, and Cristiano Ronaldo tucked in the penalty after one of those faltering run-ups I always thought were illegal. Ronaldo sealed the win late on, as his shot squirmed underneath Tottenham's 'other' rubbish goalkeeper.

In the final tie of the round, Sheffield United hosted Manchester City, knocking out the Premier League outfit with a 2-1 win. The story of the game was Luton Shelton's opener which, according to Sky Sports News, hit 'two balloons'. Sven Goran Eriksson has since refused to blame the balloons for City's defeat. I'm sure the balloons are delighted.

Read more

The Great Rebrand

All change please.

Looks a might different, doesn't it? That's a rebrand, folks, and I hereby welcome you to my new-look, new-focus football blog.

To explain why I'm taking the blog down a different road, I thought I'd list a few salient reasons - all of which I thought up on the train this afternoon. Thinking time is truly the friend of progress:

• To allow me to make more 'blogger'-style posts. I want to treat this like the home of a blogger, not just a showroom for a jobbing amateur football writer
  
• To include contributions from football-obsessed friends who have just as much to say about the game as I do, and deserve a platform upon which to spit it
  
• To add a filtering function, relaying videos, pictures and stories which are doing the rounds in the blogosphere and beyond
  
• To take this damn thing less seriously

So there you have it. Expect contributions from my good friend Matt Hemsley - he'll be writing his column 'Inspiration at Times Like These' for this blog. Maybe I'll get some other people to contribute too, but however it goes forward this thing is going to be a lot of fun. Leave your comments, leave me your URL and I'll read your blog because you've been goodly enough to read mine.

Say goodbye to Chris Nee the amateur writer. Say bonjour to Chris Nee the football blogger.

Read more

Sportingo: The tide of interest and support finally turns against Bournemouth

In 1997, the club was saved from extinction after a powerful, emotional night at the seaside town’s Winter Gardens venue. A decade on, the club’s existence again hangs in the balance. Can the Cherries survive?

Bournemouth is a town which adores its football club, but the relationship between the two is so complex that guaranteeing the future of the Cherries on the basis of community spirit may not be possible.

Read my full article at Sportingo.

Read more

Keegan coverage disproportionate to what he can actually do for Magpies

Quite why Kevin Keegan's return to Newcastle United is still the subject of hundreds of positive column inches this morning continues to escape me.

So much of the coverage surrounding Keegan's appointment appears to lack all sense of perspective, and with the media circus is still in full swing, the Keegan love-in shows little sign of abating.

What the mainstream press - for the most part - seems unable to grasp is that there are two reasons why their copy regarding this news has been both misguided and completely over the top. Firstly, Newcastle United are a mid-table club and their trophy cabinet is emptier than Mussolini's conscience. Although a few fans of other clubs persist in perpetuating the Newcastle myth, most see them for what they are.

Secondly, and this doesn't seem to have been noted anywhere this week, almost every supporter in the country outside the fictional north-east 'hotbed of football' was laughing hysterically at what is, in effect, a Hall-and-Shepherdesque desperate, populist appointment. Keegan's inability to organise a side defensively is well known, and turning back time in such a dramatic fashion is always unlikely to be successful.

So, media drivel aside, the simple fact of the matter is that football has changed since Keegan was last in charge at St James' Park. It is, sadly, more defensive to a point. Of course there are attacking sides in the Premier League, but the most attractive and entertaining teams are either built on a solid defensive base - read Manchester United set up with Ferdinand and Vidic - or are in the main counter-attacking sides. The example I'd use here is Manchester City, lauded for their entertaining football this season - and rightly so - but they are reliant on a very solid back two of Dunne and Richards, and this allows them to make the most of the ability of Michael Johnson and Elano, and the pace and movement of Darius Vassell and Martin Petrov.

Newcastle will almost certainly sign some exciting players under Kevin Keegan, but then again they've been doing that since his last stint too. Some of them are still at the club, namely Obafemi Martins, Michael Owen, Damien Duff and James Milner. But in the modern game any attacking or counter-attacking team needs a solid defensive four to allow their creative, quick or clever players to affect the outcome of a match. Keegan has no record of signing good quality defenders. In fact it could be argued that the aforementioned Manchester City defender Richard Dunne didn't come into his own until Keegan left the club.

To make matters even worse for the Magpies, a succession of bad appointments by the previous board have damaged the club almost irreparably. Since Sir Bobby Robson left the club in 2004 - not a dismissal the fans disagreed with, despite what they say today - Hall and Shepherd have brought in Graeme Souness and Glenn Roeder as permanent managers. Roeder was another appointment (and sacking) effectively made by the supporters, but surely any club worth its salt knows that appointing Graeme Souness is tantamount to dressing-room suicide.

What's more, in the season in which Newcastle United really should have won the title, Keegan cracked. He simply is not capable of steering a mid-table and quite ordinary club into the top four, and despite delusions of grandeur that is the very most Newcastle could even dream of.

Football has changed, and Newcastle have plummeted down the pecking order. The top three is too closed off to break, and the chasing pack - Liverpool, Everton, Manchester City, Everton, Villa etc - are too competitive for a team like Newcastle United to waltz through into fourth. The chances are even slimmer if they try to achieve it by attacking.

Kevin Keegan wants Newcastle fans to dream. They've had their heads in the clouds for years.

Read more

Sportingo: European football the winner as Arsenal, Man United, Liverpool and Co disband the G14

It's part of a deal with FIFA and UEFA that has removed the threat of a Super League - but has football exorcised a demon or will the authorities run riot?

Europe's 18 elite clubs - or at least the 18 members of the controversial G-14 group - have struck a deal this week which includes its own dismantling, an event which will likely be met with unmitigated joy by the sensible stakeholders of the game, if not the shareholders of the group's former member clubs.

Read my full article at Sportingo.

Read more

Missing: pressure, stress and a bias outlook on Euro 2008

It's a controversial idea to embrace in public, but I'm not sure that anybody in England was particularly heartbroken when the national team - finally - crashed out of Euro 2008 Qualifying against Croatia at Wembley in November.

That one match acted as a microcosm of the tournament almost exactly. A dismal start was followed by something of a fightback, eventual dominance, and then, at the last, disappointment. By the time Israel handed England one final chance, it had become almost inevitable that they would not be appearing in Austria and Switzerland this summer.

And, despite a last-gasp lifeline, that is exactly how events worked out. From the moment Scott Carson gifted the superb Croatians an opener, England's demise was simply a matter of time. A spirited comeback was undone by Croatia, and all the while Steve McClaren sheltered himself from the elements with an umbrella while Croatian heavy metal playing boss Slaven Bilic hurled himself around in the rain. The contrast summed up both the performance of the England players and the response of the country: apathetic.

No English failure on the international scene has ever been met with such an all-enveloping lack of pain - or interest. And in a way that is what hurt the most.

Today, England find themselves under the charge of Italian maestro Fabio Capello, a fine appointment by the FA and a man of such status that he alone has rekindled a certain amount of interest in the national side. But for now, for me at least, the England team is on hold.

The really exciting place to be is elsewhere, and I am thoroughly looking forward to Euro 2008. In a way, it's quite refreshing that England won't be there. There will be no heartbreak, no under-achievement and, ultimately, no disappointment. Given the lethargy which until recently engulfed the England support, it seems we were all ready for a break. Fortunately, that break coincides with a summer of top-level football from the best international sides around Europe.

On June 7th, Euro 2008 is kicked off by Czech Republic and hosts Switzerland, and from that moment on the group stage looks very exciting indeed. Portugal v Turkey on day one should be a fascinating game, and Germany v Poland should provide fireworks on day two. England's second favourite team, Croatia, face hosts Austria in their first game.

June 9th sees the start of the famed 'Group of Death', in this case involving France, Italy, Netherlands and Romania. That, of course, means that at least one of the big three in group C will fail to progress.

To cut a long story short, a tournament without England is nevertheless a tournament which has it all: the ability of the Italians, the Turkish bite, the technique and teamwork of the Croats, somebody else's heartbreak...the list is endless. Coupled with the African Cup of Nations, which kicks off next week, 2008 is set to be a stunning year of football. And while it's a shame England aren't taking part, it will be fascinating to be an impartial observer for a change.

Read more

Sportingo: As Redknapp snubs Newcastle, are Portsmouth fans right to be pleased?

Chris Nee questions whether Pompey fans should really be jubilant over their manager's decision not to move to Tyneside - and whether loyalty is the real reason he is staying at Fratton Park.

Portsmouth supporters celebrated on Saturday as manager Harry Redknapp decided that he would not, in fact, be tempted to leave the Hampshire club to join the sinking ship that is Newcastle United. Despite Pompey’s defeat at the Stadium of Light on Sunday, it is clear their fans are delighted Redknapp will not be leaving Fratton Park.

Read my full article at Sportingo.

Read more

Chelsea FC: the enemy of football

Jose Mourinho was once referred to as "the enemy of football", after his harassing and haranguing of referee Anders Frisk led to the abuse and threats which ultimately forced him to retire from football. Of course Mourinho didn't drive Frisk from the game alone, but the combination of Chelsea Football Club and its supporters continues to treat football with a disdain that could only eminate from a club which has achieved success through money and the employment of unscrupulous individuals in positions of influence.

There are many other complaints about and examples of Chelsea's arrogance and contempt for football. John Terry - ludicrously appointed as England captain despite off-field conduct which is questionable at the very best - is the perfect picture of everything which is wrong with the game today. He throws his elbows around, he constantly fouls strikers and he spends every game in the face of the referee. Didier Drogba is a world-class striker, but he's also a world class diver, as is team-mate Michael Ballack.

Petr Cech has used Stephen Hunt's horror tackle on him last season to ensure that he cannot be touched at all by attacking players. Ricardo Carvalho, Michael Essien and John Obi Mikel have all been sent off for shocking two-footed tackles. As a side, they dive and cheat their way through games and it shows a total lack of respect for football.

But to some extent it is Chelsea's off-the-pitch antics which show the greatest contempt for the sport. The word 'poaching' has often been used to describe Frank Arnesen's approach to scouting and development, and Peter Kenyon has, to put it bluntly, never been referred to as the nice guy of football. This week, Chelsea FC did a rather good job of alienating football yet again, with its website laughably suggesting that Everton should have been given the option of walking away after being narrowly defeated in Tuesday night's Carling Cup semi-final first leg, won 2-1 by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Giles Smith's hilariously pathetic comments were described by Football365.com as 'bilge', and frankly I can't put it any better. Here they are:

"It's a scenario that, one feels, could really have favoured Everton last night. As the whistle blew on the gutsiest and most enthralling Chelsea performance of the season so far, Everton's officials would have had the statutory two-minute grace period in which to discuss whether to exercise their option on a second leg or not.

And almost certainly, they would have emerged from their meeting and said, 'You know, we were played off the park for the best part of an hour tonight - made to look utterly League One by a side supposedly well below full strength. And then, of course, fate played into our hands when the referee sent off one of your players for committing a one-footed sliding tackle which made no contact with our player at all."

What utter, utter filth that is. Quite apart from the arrogance, the facts are that Everton simply have to beat Chelsea at Goodison to go through. It's hardly Outer Limits stuff, is it? Chelsea are under strength, and Everton have been magnificent at times this season - including against Chelsea in the league. What it proves is that the rot runs deep at Chelsea Football Club, and they truly are the enemy of football.

Read more

Breaking news: Sam Allardyce leaves Newcastle

News is breaking on Sky Sports News that Sam Allardyce and Newcastle United have parted ways. With a poor result against Stoke in the FA Cup, it was suspect by many pundits and supporters that Allardyce's time would be up shortly.

But what does this mean for Newcastle? Obviously a new man will come in, but it appears that Mike Ashley has not broken the managerial cycle which has hindered United throughout the last few years, causing a lack of stability and, as a result, progress on the park.

Newcastle fans typically welcome this kind of knee-jerk reaction but the deeper questions about the club will remain. Allardyce, like his style or not, would have revolutionised United behind the scenes. For now at least Newcastle United will continue along with the likes of Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur in priding itself on footballing style at the possible expense of success in the long-term.

When a high-profile relationship goes to pot so quickly, it's time for the questions hanging over both parties to be asked and, if they're lucky, resolved.

Sam Allardyce has for the first time in the best part of a decade been found wanting, and a question mark will be attached to his ability to manage a big club. There is no doubt that Allardyce will be back in the game before long but it will be up to him to prove that his peak is to come, and that Bolton Wanderers' success in the 2000s was not his one big moment. The jobs aren't exactly piling up, but Sam's phone will no doubt be busy over the coming weeks. Far be it from me to predict another sacking, but I would not be surprised if Steve Gibson has been an interested observer to this afternoon's events.

Sam's major selling point is his off-the-field approach, leading the way as he does in technology and sports science at football clubs. Gary Speed would doubtless recommend his former gaffer to any club in the country, believing as he does that Allardyce has extended his career by several seasons.

As for United, the moment really has come to find a manager and - for want of a more appropriate phrase - settle down with him. The endless cycle must come to a halt, for they need stability and they need it soon. So who's the man for the job? Alan Shearer is most certainly not the right man, and I would hazard a guess that both he and Newcastle head honcho Mike Ashley are aware of that.

I had been racking my brains but had no ideas until Jurgen Klinsmann was suggested to me as a possible replacement. I think that's a real prospect, and would be a superb appointment. If Newcastle are really ambitious, Marco van Basten might be the recipient of an investigatory phone call.

Whatever the outcome of today, it is certain that an ugly partnership has come to an end. Thankfully for all involved, the damage done is unlikely to last.

Read more

Carragher causes a stink - again!

Jamie Carragher is held up by Liverpool supporters as the very embodiment of Liverpool Football Club in the 2000s. Several impressive performances leading up to and including Istanbul in 2005 moved Carragher into the very top bracket of Premier League centre halves, and despite the ineptitude shown by Steve McClaren in dealing with Carragher, he is without a doubt England quality.

However, there is a negative side to Jamie Carragher the player and Jamie Carragher the man. He has over the past two or three seasons developed something of a reputation for getting away with fouls inside the box, peaking with a last minute wrestling maneouvre in the first Merseyside derby of the season. Consistently getting away with cheating is something which irks the rest of the footballing nation, particularly when the player concerned is one of the mythical 'big four'.

There is, though, a more sinister side to Jamie Carragher. In 2002, he hit the headlines in an FA Cup tie at Arsenal by throwing a coin - which had been initially launched at him - into the Arsenal support. I should be clear here: I'm not talking about morals. This is not about whether Carragher would be in the wrong to pitch a coin back from whence it came had this incident occurred in the street. The fact of the matter is that it did not occur in the street. It happened at Highbury, and professional footballers must - like it or not - rise above the abuse they receive. Coin-throwing 'supporters' should of course be banned for life, but footballers cannot return the favour. They are simply paid enough to go about their business without bringing the game into disrepute.

The most famous incident of player-bites-fan was of course Eric Cantona's notorious kung-fu attack on Crystal Palace fan Matthew Simmons. The complication, though many sources argue that Simmons' questionable political beliefs were an invention of the Manchester United PR machine, was that Simmons was found to be a known racist and an exceptionally poor reflection of English football. Again, this doesn't make Cantona's kick just, but it does give the rest of us a certain level of smug satisfaction. The fascist got a kicking, after all. Cantona, though, should have shown a professional restraint. The fans must be safe from the players just as the players must be safe from the fans.

Carragher caused more controversy on Sunday afternoon, again in the FA Cup, and Liverpool are currently embarking upon a truth-ignoring offensive to clear his name. He climbed a barrier at Luton Town's Kenilworth Road stadium and confronted fans. According to eyewitness reports, he offered to fight them. Liverpool FC have stated that Carragher suffered abuse, and had beer thrown at him. That's wrong, yes, but it does not justify a professional footballer lowering himself to the level of his abusers. Incidentally, Luton fans argue that Carragher took offence to Harry Enfield-style 'bickering scousers' telling him to 'calm down'. Short fuse, that Jamie Carragher.

Liverpool's defence of Carragher is laughable. He suffered abuse, as do hundreds of other footballers every weekend. So it is indeed worrying that this walking stereotype thinks he has the right to hit back in such ways. It's another mark on the copybook and another reason why the FA should be investigating this incident and establishing the truth. That Carragher reacted in an unacceptable, violent and threatening manner appears to be beyond debate, and for that he should be facing a lengthy ban.

Read more

Sportingo: It's a great competition, so why does the cup-tie at Spurs mean FA to Reading?

Royals striker Dave Kitson doesn't care about the world's oldest knockout tournament - so his boss Steve Coppell backs him and promises nine changes for the tie at Spurs. What's happened to tradition and romance in English football?

Every football supporter in England knows that the League Cup is not what it used to be. The days of epic 1970s finals and even the successful finals of the 1990s are distant memories, and while the 'big four' have taken a more serious approach - albeit one involving their second-string staff - in recent years, the tournament has lost much of its shine.

Read my full article at Sportingo.

Read more

Former chairman unsure about administration at Bournemouth

For the past few weeks, AFC Bournemouth have been teetering on the brink. Their finances are in no better shape than they were in the days of the famous Winter Gardens meeting in 1997, and 'administration' is a word uttered in the seaside town with equal measures of fear, desperation, inevitability and anger.

During his 2002-2006 Dean Court tenure, eccentric chairman Peter Phillips saw relegation and promotion and, notoriously, agreed the sale and lease-back of Bournemouth's new stadium, rotated ninety degrees on their site at King's Park. Phillips has been speaking to the Bournemouth Daily Echo, and as well as denying having the option of entering administration instead of selling the ground, he has some interesting comments about the possibilities for the immediate future of the club under Jeff Mostyn and Steve Sly.

To give a little background, AFC Bournemouth are in trouble. They urgently need new investors, and Mostyn and Sly are in ongoing negotiations to that very end. Otherwise, administration will be a real probability, and it is this which worries ex-chairman Phillips. He argues that administration - though it is now possible with the club's 1997 creditors' voluntary agreement repaid in full along with bank loans - is not a golden route to safety. Indeed the sharply-attired figure has issued something of a warning against going into administration.

Administration probably works for some clubs. Leeds United, had they been allowed to get away with their controversial post-relegation administration bid, could have been one example. The debts of the club are wiped, and the likes of Leeds appear to be in a reasonable position to dust themselves down and start all over again. In fact, their fifteen point deduction may not do them any harm at all in the long term, galvanising as it has a squad which is now able to take a siege mentality approach onto the pitch.

Bournemouth, on the other hand, could well end up in even more financial trouble if administration is their chosen or enforced route. Phillips suggests that success on the pitch is a prerequisite for re-building in the months and years after administration. The Cherries would need to pull in the fans and in the current climate administration simply does not offer that possibility. Bournemouth are currently second from bottom in League One, three points above Port Vale and, worryingly, three below Luton Town despite their ten point penalty earlier in the season. Town also have a game in hand. It follows, then, that AFC Bournemouth will be relegated if they bite the bullet and take their ten point deduction. The quality of the football will drop, and the fans will stay away. A club the size of AFC Bournemouth would quickly find itself in trouble again.

Phillips seemingly takes a balanced and sensible approach to administration in Bournemouth's situation, but it would be negligent not to cover off the arguments in favour of such an approach. Firstly, the clearing of debts is on the surface a very good option and, combined with good management on the flipside, could save the club. Secondly, Bournemouth will in all likelihood be relegated this season regardless. In such a situation, might it not be appropriate to give the club a fighting chance of financial survival by entering administration now, clearing the debts and being, on paper, in the same on-pitch position come August? Finally, and this is a touch heartbreaking, Bournemouth might just have no choice when it comes to the crunch.

The hope is that Mostyn and Sly can secure investors and negate the need for a decision altogether, but with Bournemouth in such dire straits, there seems little chance of success.

Peter Phillips appears to be thinking along the right lines, and it is also easy enough to read between those lines and decipher his message to the current board: before you resort to certain relegation and an uncertain recovery, sack Kevin Bond. "Success on the pitch" does not result from uninspiring football combined with shockingly bad results, and Bond has been an abject failure at Dean Court. If one were in a mischievous mood, it could be suggested that Bournemouth fans should pray their board is better at bringing in investors than it is managers.

Whatever happens on the coast over the next two or three months, it will be a concerning time for Cherries fans and an interesting time for the rest of us. We can only hope the club pulls through, and if they don't then the football community will have to pull together to save them.

Read more

Sir Alex disappointed by Old Trafford atmosphere

The main Premier League headline of the day is scathing comments made by Sir Alex Ferguson about the funeral-like atmosphere at Old Trafford during Manchester United's narrow win over Birmingham City yesterday. The BBC leads on the story, which is reminiscent of Roy Keane's infamous 'prawn sandwich brigade' comments in 2000. Ferguson, serving a touchline ban, observed what he deemed to be an unacceptable lack of atmosphere in the ground from his position in the directors' box, and complained that, "That was the quietest I have heard the ground."

These remarks by Sir Alex once again raise the age-old debate about the role of fans in the performances of their teams. Supporters like to think they are collectively the twelfth man, and indeed players and managers often reinforce this notion in thanking their supporters for playing a part. Observers would have to agree that in certain situations the supporters at least appear to have an effect, and there are various ways in which this can take place. A vocal and passionate set of home or away supporters can, in theory, lift their idols and spur them on to victory.

On the other side of the coin, banter - or, if you prefer, abuse - can be considered as an intimidating factor. Most players these days at least claim to be indifferent to this, but every so often one reacts and turns in an abject performance as a result. Paul Robinson is one player who, despite often reacting to the fans in the right way at the time - rather than complaining to the press afterwards - seems to be affected negatively when it comes to his performance in the Spurs goal.

Naturally, there are limits to exactly how much influence the crowd can have on the two teams, and the game as a whole. The vocal and visible atmosphere, though indirectly affecting the match, pales into insignificance by comparison with the actions of the twenty-three men on the pitch and the one on each touchline. The supporters, much to their distaste, cannot make decisions for the referee and his assistants. They also cannot score goals, nor can they make the vital saves through which the aforementioned Robinson made his name. The fans pay their money and shout, scream, moan and cheer, but when push comes to shove it is the players, managers and officials who have a say on events on the pitch.

In any case, do the fans actually owe anything to the likes of Ferguson and Manchester United? After all, they pay soaring prices to watch the matches and football is increasingly being seen as a commodity. In 2008, the football supporter is a customer of his or her football club. Money is exchanged, and entertainment - good or bad - is provided. So does the idea of the duty of the supporter remain? That particular argument will rage for years to come, but few would have even suggested such a possibility in days gone by. Supporters still stick by their clubs through thick and thin, but they are apparently becoming increasingly sensitive to criticism from above. It is when Ferguson, Sol Campbell and Harry Redknapp hit out at supporters - for opposing reasons, incidentally - that the supporter begins to use the word 'consumer' in his defence, and perhaps rightly so.

The comments made by Sir Alex are fascinating in the light of recent verbal attacks on fans by Portsmouth duo Harry Redknapp and Sol Campbell. Redknapp used the word 'filth' in a complaint about Aston Villa fans which was as offensive as the supposed abuse he received during the game. Reports suggest nothing out of the ordinary occurred during that game other than Redknapp gesticulating at supporters after waving a none-too-subtle v-sign at the Holte End. Campbell, and then PFA Chief Executive Gordon Taylor, followed Redknapp's attack by further criticising the fans for the same offence. Campbell, of course, has probably suffered some very nasty comments. Whether this gives football the right to launch an anti-supporter campaign throughout December 2007 is debatable. Redknapp and Campbell, and a few others openly opposed only by Robbie Keane, seem to want the game further sanitised and the players further protected. It is hard to agree with such a wish.

Ferguson's comments, on the other hand, appear to be an attack on this new sanitised game. He advocates the role of the supporter in the performance of the team, and calls for passion and noise from the Old Trafford supporters. He is, in essence, craving the supporter of old, the very type of fan of which certain elements at Portsmouth Football Club would like to rid the game.

There is, of course, no right and wrong in this debate and there never will be. The game has too many disparate stakeholders, from the TV stations and the businessmen, players and managers, through to the fans - both corporate and traditional working-class - who are the lifeblood of football. There will be no agreeing to disagree and football will doubtless continue to alienate its own supporters. But as long as the likes of Robbie Keane and Alex Ferguson defend the fans, there might just be a glimmer of hope.

Read more